Process of carbonizing woolen fibers



Patented Oct. 9, 1928.

UN T

MINER HERMANN'POTT OF DRESDEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO CHEMISCHE FABRIK POT! '& 00., OF DRESDEN-N., GERMANY.

PROCESS OF CARBON'IZING WOOLEN FIBERS.

No Drawing. Application filed July 26, 1924, Serial No. 728,494, and in Germany July 10, 1928.

This invention relates to wetting out or steeping agents for use in connection'with textile, cloth, and leather industries and more particularly for use in the carbonization of woolen fibers and fabrics in acid baths.

In various operations in the textile industry, fatty acid salts, sulfonated oils and pre arations produced therefrom are added to the liquors or baths to which the textile fabrics are subjected to improve the wet ting out effect, as for example, in fowking vegetable fibers or in connection with the dyeing of the fibers;

The use of such steeping agents is, however, limited when acidbaths are involved, since these media decompose in acid solution. For this reason, it has heretofore been impossible to effect such wetting out of the fibers in the carbonization of woolen fabrics, where use is made of acid baths of relatively high concentration.

The frequent occurrence of spots and streaks and the irregular dyeing of the woolen fibers of carbonized material have always been conducive to loss, but heretofore no method of avoiding these defects was known. The cause of these difficulties is mostly due to the irregular distribution of the acids on the fibers, with the result that upondrying, the acid accumulates in spots and dama es the fibers. If the acid penetrates the fabric unequally, or if the acid is unequally removed from the fabric on washing, drying and centrifuging the goods, there results acid accumulation at different points or in streaks.

Uniform distribution of the acids in the fabrics is rendered particularly diflicult when the latter contain residues of soaps, calcium soaps or fatty substances that are unsaponifiable, or, when preliminarily washed goods are left with the rinsing water contained therein unequally distributed. The use of hitherto known steeping or wetting out agents will in these cases only intensity the unequal treatment of the fabrics, as the fats or oils separated out of these agents by the acid become fixed on the fabric and uniform distribution of the acid is thereby rendered difficult or impossible.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide wetting out agents that may be satisfactorily used in acid treatment of textiles and fabrics, as for instance in the carbonization of woolen oods.

I have 1 now found t at the difiiculties hereinbefore mentioned are completely avoided if small quantities of the sulphonic acids of substituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, particularly of the naphthalene series, are added to the acid bath. These substances impart to the bath an unexpectedly high wetting out and penetratmg capacity.

When baths so prepared come into contact with the goods to be treated they instantly penetrate the goods completely and the fabric is wetted out with entire uniformity, even in the presence of such soaps, or fatty residues as may be adherent to the fabric from natural causes or revious operations. On account of the acid 0 aracterof the bath, the sulfonic acids referred to may also be used in the form of their alkali salts.

The term sulfonic acids of substituted polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is'meant to include the sulfonic acids of alkyl substituted naphthalenes or hydrogenated naphthalenes and. anthracenes. Examples of the substances to be covered by this generic classification are iso-propyl-naphthalene sulfonic acid, tetra-hydro-naphthalene sulfonic acid and alkyl substitution products thereof.

The steeping agents of my invention may also be used in combination with each other or with hydrocarbons, alcohols, or ketones.

For example, a few grams of tetra-hydronaphthalenebeta-sulfonic acid (sodium salt) may be added to a liter of the acid bath after the former has previously been mixed with hydrocarbons or with alcohols of high molecular" weight. '-In addition to the use in carbonizing, the above named steeping agents may also be used to advantage. in acid dye baths (woolen dyeing) to insure uniform absorption of the coloring matter.

Furthermore, these agents, by reason of their capacity for resisting acid, may be utilized in all branches of the textile, cloth and leather industries, or the like, where it is desired to impart to acid baths a high steeping and uniform penetrating quality. Since the calcium salts of these sulfonic acids are all soluble, there is no injurious separation of lime soaps where hard waters are used. These agents may also be used in acid falling operations in the felt and cloth industries, in acid impregnations of everytype and as an addition to acid. sizes and the like.

' The present steeping out media are characterized by their complete'resistance' to the action of acids and thus meetall practical requirements without possessing the defects observed in the hitherto known steeping media. a

I claim as my invention:

1. The process of treating fibrous materials, which comprises subjecting said material to treatment in an acid bath in the j'presence of sulfonic acids of substituted aromatic polynuclear hydrocarbons.

" 2; The process of treating fibrous materials, which comprises subjecting said material to treatment in an acid bath in the presence of sulfonic acids of substituted naphthalenes.

3. The process of treating fibrous materials, which comprises subjecting said ma terial to treatment in an acid bath in the presence of sulfonic acids of alkyl substituted naphthalenes;

4. The process of treating fibrous materials, which comprises subjecting said material to treatment in an acid'bath in the presence of sulfonic acids vof iso-propylnaphthalene.

5. The process of carbonizing woolen fibers which comprises treating said fibers in acid baths of relatively high concentration in the resence of sulfonic acids of a substituted nap thalene.

6. The process. of carbonizing' woolen fibers, which comprises treating-said fibers in acid baths of relatively high concentration in the presence of relatively small quantities of iso-propyl-naphthalene sulfonic acid.

In testimony whereof I hereuhto aflix my signature.

RA NER HERMANN Porn 

